The present invention generally relates to semiconductor device manufacturing, and more particularly to fabricating semiconductor devices having spacer for increasing self aligned contact process margins.
Contacts may be formed in order to make electrical connections to a semiconductor device. Contacts to a source region or a drain region of the semiconductor device may be referred to as CA contacts. CA contacts may be distinguished from CG contact which may form an electrical connection to a gate conductor of a semiconductor device. The source and drain regions must remain electrically insulated from the gate terminal in order to maintain functionality of the semiconductor device. Conversely, a short circuit between the source and drain regions and the gate terminal may damage the semiconductor device. A CA contact may be formed in a contact hole etched in a contact-level dielectric, and therefore would be surrounded by the contact-level dielectric. Self aligned contact (SAC) process may include CA contact, which can partially overlap the gate conductor.